Santosh Trophy: Goa Squad Profile

Agnelo has plied his trade for various clubs in Goa. He started his senior career in 2009 with Raia Sporting before moving to Margao Sports Club in 2011. His exploits under the bar earned him a contract with Sporting Clube de Goa in 2012, although he didn’t feature much for Flaming Oranje. He also had a stint with Mumbai based ONGC before getting called up to Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim in 2016. Agile and flexible under the bar, Agnelo is a good shot stopper and will most likely start under the bar for Goa.

Melroy Fernandes
Club: Calangute Association
Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 24
Place of Birth: Dramapur
A promising youngster, Melroy played for Sporting Clube de Goa for two seasons after he made the move from Churchill Brothers. He joined Calangute Association early this season and made several saves for them in the Goa Pro League. His ability to deal with aerial balls and his height makes him an asset for any team.

Bruno Colaco
Club: Salgaocar FC
Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 25
Place of Birth: Nuvem

After stints with Sesa Football Academy and Margao Sports Club in the Goa Pro League, Bruno made a remarkable debut in the I-League when he kept a clean sheet for Sporting Clube de Goa against Pune FC at the Balewadi sports complex. It was here that he made his debut for another club, Bengaluru FC, and earned a point for his side. With good reflexes and sound technique, coach Mateus Costa can count on this youngster to defend the Goan citadel.

Assumption Soares
Club: Dempo SC
Position: Defender

Age: 19
Place of Birth: Cansaulim

A speedy left back Assumption started two matches for Dempo Sports Club in the Goa Pro League this season after being promoted from the junior side. His moment of truth came this season against Sporting Clube de Goa when in his debut match for the senior team, he produced a splendid display. He was selected in the Goa Santosh Trophy team for the first phase and his good performances caught the eye of Kenkre FC, a Mumbai based club that is currently playing in the Second Division I-League. He is currently playing there on loan from Dempo Sports Club and will resume his duties there once Goa’s campaign in the Santosh trophy ends.

Melvin Lobo
Club: Calangute Association
Position: Defender

Age: 24
Place of Birth: Calangute

A no nonsense defender and a tough tackler, Melvin initially plied his trade at United Club of Nerul for two seasons before making the cut at Sesa Football Academy in Sanquelim. He spent three seasons at the junior academy, earning a promotion to the senior team of the Academy in 2012. He honed his skills there under the able guidance of former Sporting coach Clifford Chukwuma and Anthony De Souza playing for three seasons in the Goa Professional League for the Tivim based academy. He was a member of current I-League side DSK Shivajians, based in Pune, and was a member of the team that played in the Second Division I-League in 2014-15. He later donned colours for the same team under coach Derrick Pereira. He was among the primary reason why Calangute Association finished among the top five in the Goa Pro League.

Agnelo Gomes

Club: Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim
Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 28
Place of Birth: Curtorim

Agnelo has plied his trade for various clubs in Goa. He started his senior career in 2009 with Raia Sporting before moving to Margao Sports Club in 2011. His exploits under the bar earned him a contract with Sporting Clube de Goa in 2012, although he didn’t feature much for Flaming Oranje. He also had a stint with Mumbai based ONGC before getting called up to Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim in 2016. Agile and flexible under the bar, Agnelo is a good shot stopper and will most likely start under the bar for Goa.

Melroy Fernandes
Club: Calangute Association
Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 24
Place of Birth: Dramapur
A promising youngster, Melroy played for Sporting Clube de Goa for two seasons after he made the move from Churchill Brothers. He joined Calangute Association early this season and made several saves for them in the Goa Pro League. His ability to deal with aerial balls and his height makes him an asset for any team.

Bruno Colaco
Club: Salgaocar FC
Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 25
Place of Birth: Nuvem

After stints with Sesa Football Academy and Margao Sports Club in the Goa Pro League, Bruno made a remarkable debut in the I-League when he kept a clean sheet for Sporting Clube de Goa against Pune FC at the Balewadi sports complex. It was here that he made his debut for another club, Bengaluru FC, and earned a point for his side. With good reflexes and sound technique, coach Mateus Costa can count on this youngster to defend the Goan citadel.

Assumption Soares
Club: Dempo SC
Position: Defender

Age: 19
Place of Birth: Cansaulim

A speedy left back Assumption started two matches for Dempo Sports Club in the Goa Pro League this season after being promoted from the junior side. His moment of truth came this season against Sporting Clube de Goa when in his debut match for the senior team, he produced a splendid display. He was selected in the Goa Santosh Trophy team for the first phase and his good performances caught the eye of Kenkre FC, a Mumbai based club that is currently playing in the Second Division I-League. He is currently playing there on loan from Dempo Sports Club and will resume his duties there once Goa’s campaign in the Santosh trophy ends.

Melvin Lobo
Club: Calangute Association
Position: Defender

Age: 24
Place of Birth: Calangute

A no nonsense defender and a tough tackler, Melvin initially plied his trade at United Club of Nerul for two seasons before making the cut at Sesa Football Academy in Sanquelim. He spent three seasons at the junior academy, earning a promotion to the senior team of the Academy in 2012. He honed his skills there under the able guidance of former Sporting coach Clifford Chukwuma and Anthony De Souza playing for three seasons in the Goa Professional League for the Tivim based academy. He was a member of current I-League side DSK Shivajians, based in Pune, and was a member of the team that played in the Second Division I-League in 2014-15. He later donned colours for the same team under coach Derrick Pereira. He was among the primary reason why Calangute Association finished among the top five in the Goa Pro League.

Jessel Carneiro

Club: FC Bardez
Position: Defender

Age: 26
Place of Birth: Maina
Son of former Salgaocar FC player, Roque Carneiro, Jessel has been one of the most promising players at the junior level. He initially started his career with Dempo Sports Club juniors before moving on to the senior team under the able guidance of Armando Colaco. After some decent performances for Dempo where he broke into the I-League team, Jessel moved to Pune FC where he played for the Red Lizards for a year before an unfortunate knee injury hampered his progress. After recovery he reunited with his former coach Armando Colaco at FC Bardez and has showed glimpses of his old self with some brilliant overlapping runs and deadly crosses from his left back position. Having a strong left foot, Jessel is one of those rare breed of left backs who can defend well and in a split second run up the flanks to aid the attackers during a swift counter attack.

Leny Pereira
Club: Salgaocar FC
Position: Defender

Age: 26
Place of Birth: Goa Velha

A defender of some repute in Goa, Leny has been making quite some progress since grabbing attention with his performance for Margao Sports Club. It wasn’t long before that Salgaocar spotted him, and although it took him some time to work his way into the starting eleven, his performance for the Green Brigade was hard to ignore since making his debut for Salgaocar in 2013. He is now a regular for the club and was instrumental in the club winning the Goa Pro League.

George D’Souza
Club: Sporting Clube de Goa
Position: Defender

Age: 22
Place of Birth: Calangute

A diminutive left back, George started off at the junior academy of Sesa in Sanquelim. His exploits on the field earned him a call to the senior academy where he played for two seasons. He then joined Calangute Association after the closure of the senior academy at Sesa. His wonder goal for Calangute against Sporting Clube de Goa in the Goa League last season earned him a call up to the Sporting Clube de Goa senior team where he reunited with his mentor at Sesa, Clifford Chukwuma. George played a handful of games for Sporting in last season’s I-League performing creditably.

Nicolau Colaco
Club: Salgaocar FC
Position: Defender

Age: 32
Place of Birth: Nuvem

The experienced defender was part of the Salgaocar squad that won the I-League in 2011-12 as well as the Federation Cup. He was later picked up by FC Goa, the Goan franchise in the Indian Super League, and although he may have played his best football earlier, the experienced campaigner will have a leading role to play for Goa at the Santosh Trophy.

Peter Carvalho
Club: FC Bardez
Position: Midfielder

Age: 36
Place of Birth: Quepem

Just when you thought he was past his prime, Peter Carvalho always manages to prove you wrong. His performances have remained consistent over the past ten years playing some memorable games alongside Climax Lawrence for Dempo SC in the centre of midfield. Peter always has been his team’s unsung hero but ask any coach who has coached him and he would tell you how important he is to the teams cause. Peter’s best performances as a player came alongside Climax Lawrence in a Dempo jersey having played for the Golden Eagles from 2006 till 2016. Peter has also played a game for the National team against Maldives under Armando Colaco. What marks Peter out from the rest of his contemporaries is his ability to find goals despite being a defensive midfielder, primarily entrusted with the job of breaking down the opponents attacks. In the 2012-13 I-League, Peter was the highest scoring midfielder for Dempo. His exploits earned him an Indian Super League call-up for two successive seasons- with FC Goa in the inaugural season and later Kerala Blasters. He has four I-League winners medals to his credit with Dempo Sports Club including a cherished semi-final appearance in the AFC Cup 2008.

Francisco Fernandes
Club: FC Pune City
Position: Midfielder

Age: 31
Place of Birth: Bogmalo

He may have fallen out of favour with the national team for now but Francisco’s quality and talent can never be doubted. An important player of the Salgaocar squad that won the I-League and Federation Cup under Moroccan coach Karim Bencherifa, Francisco was among the players that former India coach Wim Koevermans trusted the most. With boundless energy and a bagful of tricks, Francisco can provide the inspiration for Goa at the Santosh Trophy.

Latesh Mandrekar
Club: FC Bardez
Position: Midfielder

Age: 19
Place of Birth: Saligao
Another product of the Sesa Football Academy, Latesh would like to follow in the illustrious footsteps of his uncle Samir Naik, one of Goa’s most impressive players of all time. A member of the Sesa Football Academy team that won the U-16 GFA League along with Leander D’Cunha, Latesh then moved to Calangute Association and gained valuable experience playing in the Goa Professional League. This season he has been one of the best young talents on display donning colours for new entrants FC Bardez.

Brian Mascarenhas
Club: Salgaocar FC
Position: Midfielder

Age: 25
Place of Birth: Nuvem

Brian is one of the exciting young wingers in the team who has had spells with Churchill Brothers and Dempo before settling for the comfort of Salgaocar SC. He is relentless in his pursuit of goals on the wings and can stun rival goalkeepers with long rangers. His most famous strike could possibly be the one scored against Calangute Association from almost 40 yards out. Goa will expect more of the same at the Santosh Trophy.

Leander D’Cunha
Club: Churchill Brothers SC
Position: Midfielder

Age: 19
Place of Birth: Cuncolim
Leander started his career with Sesa Football Academy in 2012 and played there for two seasons winning the GFA U-16 League. He then moved to his village club Cuncolim Union, playing there for a year before moving to Churchill Brothers last season where they finished as Runners-Up in the Goa Professional League. Predominantly used in the centre of midfield, Leander is a traditional workhorse.

Cajetan Fernandes
Club: Sporting Clube de Goa
Position: Midfielder

Age: 28
Place of Birth: Nuvem

The Nuvem born box to box midfielder is a powerhouse and covers a lot of ground during matches moving up in attack as well as tracking back to help his defenders. One of the senior most players in the squad, Cajetan is usually the first name on every coach’s team list. He has an I-League winner’s medal to his credit having won the 2010-11 I-League trophy with Salgaocar FC under Karim Bencherifa. Whether it is tackling an opponent and retrieving the ball or pushing up and making the final deadly pass, Cajetan is at the heart of every move. His commitment and work-rate makes him a definite starter in all of Goa’s matches. Many of his critics thought Cajetan went off the boil a couple of years back, however he has managed to reinvent himself at Sporting with some consistent performances over the past three seasons, be it in the Goa Professional League, I-League or Federation Cup.

Glan Martins
Club: Sporting Clube de Goa

Position: Midfielder

Age: 22
Place of Birth: Cansaulim

A product of the Sesa Football Academy, Glan joined Sporting Clube de Goa in the 2014-15 season after catching the eye of Sporting scouts with some stellar performances for Sesa in the preceding Goa Professional League. Usually deployed as an attacking midfielder, Glan has the ability to thread passes through the eye of a needle. He was a regular starter with Sporting Clue de Goa in the 2016-17 I-League season as one of their two U-23 players. His pace and vision enables him to play on the right of midfield too where he has delivered some deadly crosses in the past.

Akeraj Martins
Club: Sporting Clube de Goa
Position: Striker

Age: 19
Place of Birth: Taleigao

Akeraj is a product of the Sporting Clube de Goa academy. The Dona Paula born lad started his career playing for Don Bosco High School, Panjim. He was one of the mainstays of the school team and was their standout performers. Thanks to the schools tie-up with Sporting Clube de Goa, it was only a matter time before he would don the Flaming Oranje jersey. He has been a regular for Sporting Clube de Goa this season as one of their two U-20 players. He has the ability to be a poacher in front of goal and can be at the right place at the right time.

Aaren D’Silva
Club: Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim
Position: Striker

Age: 19
Place of Birth: Ponda

Aaren started his career at Sesa Football Academy, spending four years at Sanquelim, before donning colours for Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim this year. His performances for the Cavelossim based side earned him a call up to the Santosh Trophy team. Despite being only 19 years of age, Aaren shows tremendous potential and his aerial ability makes him deadly with set pieces. His exploits in front of goal helped Sesa Academy (Jrs) qualify for the GFA First Division.

Marcus Mascarenhas
Club: Sporting Clube de Goa

Position: Striker

Age: 30
Place of Birth: Sao Jose De Areal

Marcus Mascarenhas has been a veteran at the Santosh Trophy having played in many editions so far. He was also a part of Goa’s Santosh Trophy winning team in 2009. Soon after his exploits at that tournament, Marcus who was with Sesa FA at that time became a household name receiving offers from several top notch clubs in Goa. What makes him stand out from the rest is his ability to dribble and get past defenders with pace leaving them numb. He is also a cool finisher, a very important quality in a striker. Goa would be hoping that his partnership with the young Liston Colaco yields them plenty of goals. Marcus has in the past represented both Goan powerhouses, Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa playing in the I-League on several occasions. Two seasons back his strike partnership with Nigerian sharpshooter Odafa Okolie helped Sporting Clube de Goa fight relegation and survive in the I-League.

Liston Colaco
Club: Salgaocar FC
Position: Striker

Age: 18
Place of Birth: Davorlim

A product of Salgaocar’s youth development programme, Liston is one of the hottest young properties in Goan football and has already taken Goa by storm. Just 18 years of age, Liston has already been the top scorer of the Goa Professional League and has also scored 4 goals in the first phase of the Santosh Trophy this year. He possesses a great eye for goal and has a brilliant footballing brain even at such a young age. What’s more, he is deadly at set pieces having scored a brilliant goal in the Goa Professional League against Sporting Clube de Goa. Goa would certainly depend on this young talent to bulge the net at every match.